The governor of California Jerry Brown declared the state of emergency in Santa Barbara County over the coastal oil spill.

„There continues to be a number of questions… including why there was no automatic shut-off on this relatively new pipeline, and why the early response was not more successful in halting the flow,“ said the Environmental Defense Center’s head Owen Bailey, according to rappler.com

„This region is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife including numerous species of endangered whales and iconic coastlands that bring people from across the world to visit,“ he said.

Santa Barbara was before the scene of what was then the largest oil spill in US history, when in 1969 several million gallons of crude spewed into the ocean after an oil rig blowout.